


The Sick Prince

by lupinseclipse



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enby Character, Flu, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Henry is sick, M/M, Nurse Alex, Red White and Royal blue - Freeform, Rwrb, Sick Henry, alex plays at nurse, but not literally, cuteness, enjoy, firstprince, henry is vv sick, i love these boys, its cute, mlm, non-binary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:56:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29766204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lupinseclipse/pseuds/lupinseclipse
Summary: It's flu season and unfortunately, Henry is sick. So now it's Alex's turn to play nurse.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 1
Kudos: 50





	The Sick Prince

Alex didn't know what he should have expected when he gets home that night. But it certainly wasn't seeing Prince Henry lying in the middle of the kitchen floor, curled up with David, wearing sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Henry has a hand on his stomach and the other is covering his face while David licks the back of his hand. Alex watches from the doorway for a moment, partly in a amusement, partly because he is a little stunned. Henry isn't usually like this. Normally, when Alex gets home from work, Henry is already there waiting for him, ready to give him a kiss. But not today, apparently.

A moment later, David looks up and whines at Alex, looking between the Prince and the FSOTUS, with a decidedly distressed look on his face. This makes Alex frown, and he puts down his bag, toeing off his shoes, and he walks over to Henry, kneeling down next to him. He lays his left hand on Henry's shoulder and his right hand runs through Henry's floppy hair. It's unusually sweaty. Normally, Henry is so good about his hair, washing it and keeping it soft and smooth. But today, it's sweaty and gross.

"Hi baby," He says gently, and Henry groans, leaning into Alex's touch.

"'L'x?" Henry mumbles.

"Yeah, it's me love. What's up?"

"'Urts."

Alex's frown deepens and he squeezes Henry's shoulder slightly, keeping running his fingers through Henry's hair.

"What hurts?"

"'Ead. Stomach. Arms. Legs. Ev'rythin' 'urts."

"Oh baby," Alex carefully leans forwards and presses a soft kiss to Henry's forehead, "Why didn't you call me?"

"Didn' wan' to disturb you," Henry says groggily, and the hand on his stomach comes up to rest on Alex's hand on his shoulder, "You were busy."

"I'm never too busy for you," Alex replies instantly, turning his hand over and lacing their fingers together, "Never. Now, shall we get you into bed? And I'll take your temperature, yeah?"

"Mmm," Henry hums, his face screwing up in pain. Alex sighs quietly and removes his hand for Henry's hair, placing it on his forehead. It's hot to touch, yet his body is shaking, shivering.

'Huh,' Alex thinks to himself, 'He's hot to touch, and he's sweaty, but he's shivering. Dam. Does he have a fever? Or flu?'

"Come on then baby," He coaxes gently, knowing he needs to move Henry asap, "Up we get."

He takes his hands off Henry's shoulder and forehead and places them under his arms, pulling him up. Henry groans loudly, and as soon as he is upright and leaning against Alex, he leans back and hides his face in Alex's neck breathing heavily.

"Hen?" Alex says tentatively, supporting Henry and rubbing his back, "You with me?"

Henry takes a big breath before replying, "R'lly don' feel good Al."

David whines and puts his paw on Henry's knee, looking up at the couple. Alex pats his head quickly and strokes his ear with one hand while the other strokes Henry's back.

"Okay baby, okay," He says in response, "It's alright, I've got you. What I'm gonna do, is I'm gonna help you up, and we're gonna go into the bathroom. I'll run you a bath, and you can have a nice soak, getting all that sweat off you, and then you can go to bed, and I'll get you some soup or tea and I can take your temperature, okay?"

"Mmm. You come in the bath with me?" If someone lying in the floor sick with flu could sound hopeful, then Henry sounds hopeful, his face still pressed into Alex's neck.

"'Course I will," Alex says, "I'll wash you and get all that gross sweat off you, yeah?"

"M'kay," Henry says, "'M ready to move... I think."

Alex chuckles softly and shakes his head.

"Alright love, stay with me. Three... Two... One," On 'one,' Alex slowly stands, bringing Henry up with him and holding him close. Henry moans loudly throughout the movement, and Alex kisses his jaw and cheeks, supporting them once they are stood.

"Feel sick," Henry complains, and Alex nods.

"Okay, it's okay, you're doing so well, yeah? We need to go to the bathroom now, yeah? So you can have a wash-"

"'M gunna be sick."

Alex only just moves Henry in time, and soon, Henry is violently throwing up into the kitchen sink.

"I've got you love, I've got you," Alex says gently, as he holds Henry's sweaty hair out of his face and rubs his back, kissing the back of his head every now and again. Henry has the edge of the sink in a death grip, his knuckles white as he throws up, "It's alright, just let it all come, let it all out baby. There we go."

A couple moments later, Henry is just dry heaving over the sink, tears dripping down his cheeks. Alex lets him stay there for another minute, to make sure he isn't going to throw up again, and then Henry moves himself, leaning back against Alex.

"Told you," He says, attempting to make a weak joke, and Alex chuckles.

"Yeah, you did," He replies, gently rubbing Henry's stomach with his hand, "You gonna be sick again?"

Henry thinks for a moment, before shaking his head and sighing, "No. Don't think so. Just feel sick. Not gunna be sick. Just feel it."

"Okay love, it's okay. Let's go to the bathroom, yeah?" Alex says gently, "Then we can wash and brush your teeth and get you into bed, yeah?"

"Mmm," Henry hums in reply, so Alex very carefully, very slowly, moves Henry through the house and towards the bathroom. Once they are in there, Henry immediately curls up on the floor again, eyes closed. Alex watches him for a second, before he moves and starts running the bath, then kneels down next to Henry, kissing his forehead.

"I'll get you your pjs, yeah?" He whispers, and Henry nods, so Alex quickly runs into their bedroom and grabs Henry's new, soft pyjamas. (Alex is secretly very envious of those pyjamas, but he gets to cuddle Henry. So it's not too bad.) And he grabs joggers, boxers and a t-shirt for himself. Then, he comes back into the bathroom, only to find Henry bent over the toilet, throwing up again. That makes him drop the pyjamas and clothes quickly and he rushes over to Henry's side, kneeling next to him and resuming his role from earlier, holding Henry's sweaty hair away from his face and rubbing his back. 

"Feel... Like... Shit," Henry gasps out as he throws up, and Alex nods, soothing him gently.

"Okay, okay, it's okay baby, I know, I know," Alex says, "I'm sorry you feel like this love, I'm so, so sorry. But it's better to throw it up now than stay up all night feeling worse with a tummy bug."

Henry just groans in response, as he starts dry heaving again, and Alex kisses his shoulder blade, continuing to rub his back until Henry is just breathing heavily. His t-shirt is drenched in sweat, and Alex can feel how damp Henry's forehead is. It's definitely either flu or fever. Probably flu. It is that time of the year anyway. But Henry has never been troubled by flu before... So why now? 

But then Alex is interrupted from his thoughts by Henry moving away from the toilet and collapsing in Alex's lap, his body shaking. Alex quickly flushes the toilet, then bends over and kisses Henry's forehead, ignoring how sweaty his boyfriend's head is. The bath is almost full by now, so gently, and with lots of stopping and starting, Alex helps Henry undress, and takes off his own clothes as well, before picking Henry up and slowly putting him in the bath. He climbs in behind him, turning off the taps and pulling Henry towards him, so Henry's back is up against his chest, his head on his shoulder. Henry's taking in big, deep breaths, his eyes squeezed shut, and under the water, his hand seeks and finds Alex's hand, squeezing hard.

"I've got you," Alex whispers, "I've got you."

They don't have too long a bath. Just enough time for Alex to give Henry a nice clean, and wash all the sweat off him. He washes Henry's hair as well, gently massaging his scalp when he does so, and Henry hums in approval, leaning into the touch. Luckily, Henry isn't sick, and doesn't complain about feeling sick while they are in the bath, and Alex is happy with that. Every now and again, while he washes Henry, he will kiss his forehead or his cheek and tell him how proud he is of him, or how much he loves him, or how it's all okay, just unfair that Henry has caught the flu. Henry sometimes replies with a weak 'I love you too,' or a small smile. Alex isn't asking for much, but seeing his boyfriend smile while they're in the bath together makes his heart warm. Because even though Henry feels like shit, he can still smile, and Alex is very happy for that.

Once Alex has washed Henry, and has given himself a quick once over, he pulls the plug and climbs out of the bath. He leans back into the bath then and picks Henry up in bridal style, gently lifting him out of the bath and letting him sit on the lid of the toilet. After a towel is wrapped around his own waist, he picks up the fluffy towel from the bathroom floor and wraps it around Henry, starting to rub him dry. Henry leans forwards, eyes closed and rests his head on Alex's shoulder, waiting patiently for Alex to be done.

Alex kisses the side of Henry's head as he dries him, telling him every now and again 'it's okay,' or 'I've got you love,' and Henry grunts in response. He feels like a dead weight in Alex's arms, so once Alex has made sure every part of Henry is dry (excluding his hair. He will do his hair in a bit) he gently rests Henry back and picks up his soft pyjamas, carefully helping Henry get into them. When Henry is dressed, Alex stands him up, supporting his weight as he leads him over to the sink.

"Brush your teeth, love," He says, putting toothpaste on Henry's toothbrush and passing it to him.

"Mmm," Henry hums in response, taking the toothbrush and starting to brush his teeth. Alex keeps his arms around Henry, kissing his shoulder every now and again, and supports his weight as he brushes. It's really unfair that Henry has to get flu. He is such a hardworking man, and such a wonderful person, that it isn't right. But hey, he's got flu, and that means that Alex has to play nurse. Which, so far, he has been successful in. And that's always a good thing. 

When Henry is done brushing his teeth, he spits and washes his mouth out with a glass of water, then moves himself slowly to go back and sit on the toilet, resting his elbows on his knees and his hands.

"Don't you want to go to bed love?" Alex asks, a little confused as to why Henry is sat back on the toilet.

"Mm... Wait for you," Henry replies, his voice muffled as his face is still pressed into his hands. Alex smiles at him and walks over to him, dropping a kiss to his still-damp hair.

"Love you," He whispers, before he quickly dries himself off and dresses, pulling on his boxers, joggers and t-shirt and rubbing a towel over his own messy, damp curls. Then, he hangs up the other towels, puts Henry's gross, sweaty clothes into the wash hamper just outside the door, and picks up another, dry towel which he will use to dry Henry's hair. 

"Come on baby," He says, walking back over to Henry, "Let's go. I'll dry your hair in the bedroom, okay?"

"M'kay," Henry mumbles, lifting his head and smiling tiredly at Alex, leaning forwards and dropping his head onto Alex's shoulder, "'M tired now."

"I'll bet," Alex chuckles, "Come on. You can sleep in a bit. I just need to dry your hair."

"Mmhmm," Henry hums, and Alex smiles, wrapping his arms around Henry's body and slowly standing the two of them up. Henry groans softly, and Alex kisses his forehead.

"It's okay love," He says quietly, "It's okay."

He carefully brings Henry through to the bedroom, and sits him down on a pillow on the floor, leaning against the bed, before grabbing the hairdryer and a hairbrush, and sitting on the bed, his legs bracketing Henry's head.

"Okay, close your eyes, sweetheart, and just breathe, okay?" Alex says, turning on the hairdryer, and starting to dry Henry's hair, running the hairbrush through his hair. Henry hums in approval and leans back, his eyes closed as Alex looks after him.

One thing Alex really loves about Henry, is his hair. It's always so soft, and fluffy, beautiful golden hair parted in the middle that framed Henry's face. Alex loves to run his fingers through it and playing with it, and loves the noises Henry makes when he is playing with it. He often hums and leans into the touch with a happy sigh, just as he is doing now. It's something that has never failed to calm Henry down and sooth him. Whenever Henry has had a stressful day, or isn't feeling great, he will often plant his head into Alex's lap, all tense and upset, but all the tension melts out of him when Alex's fingers wind their way into his hair and start to play with it. See, Alex just knows Henry. He knows how he likes his hair being played with, he knows how to look after him, he knows what he likes and what he doesn't... He just _knows_ him.

"I'm all done baby," Alex whispers as he turns off the hairdryer and presses a kiss to the crown of Henry's head. Henry leans into his touch and hums again.

"Thanks Al," He says weakly, and Alex smiles.

"It's okay. Now, let's get you into bed, yeah?" He puts the hairdryer and hairbrush to the side, and moves so he is now in front of Henry, his hands going under Henry's armpits and carefully pulling him up. He pulls the covers away from Henry's side of the bed and then lays Henry down, covering him up with the covers again, "There you go love."

"Thanks," Henry whispers, voice weak. Alex sits next to him and runs his fingers through Henry's soft hair, chuckling when Henry leans into the touch, "Love you."

"Love you too," Alex says, kissing Henry's forehead, "I have to finish off some stuff for work, but I'll leave the door open, so call me if you need me, okay?"

"M'kay," Henry sighs, his eyes already closing, breathing already slowing down. Alex kisses his forehead again, before he gets up, closes the curtains, and leaves the room, leaving the door slightly ajar on his way out.

~*~

Henry has the flu for about a week, throwing up, a raging fever, headaches, a sore throat and heavy fatigue. He barely gets out of bed for the next week, only moving when Alex comes to wash him or help him go to the toilet. It's very distressing for Alex, which is why he takes the week off work to look after Henry, as he needs to wash him, and feed him, and care for him.

Alex has to do all the cooking, but it doesn't involve much. He makes himself small meals, then it's mostly just soup and bread for Henry (when he feels up to eating, which isn't often.) But Alex doesn't much mind cooking. It helps him take his mind off things and his cooking skills have improved. Which is a bonus.

But poor old Henry doesn't seem to be getting any better. Sure, he isn't getting worse, and Alex sees that as a positive, but Henry isn't getting better. And that isn't good. No matter how much Alex looks after him, or how much rest he gets, he still isn't getting any better. Alex did phone a doctor about three days into Henry's flu, as there was no way he was getting Henry up to see one (the man could barely move.) But the doctor was very unhelpful. Just telling them that Henry needed lots of bedrest, soup and quiet. But that is what Henry is getting. That's what's happening.

But Henry still isn't getting better.

~*~

Wednesday morning marks seven days since Alex came home to find Henry on the floor, sick with flu, and this morning, Alex has woken up as the sun shines in through the curtains. Looking at the clock would reveal that it's half past eight, and Alex sighs. He lies on his back, staring at the ceiling for a moment, before he turns his head and looks at Henry. The other man is still sleeping, his face turned towards Alex, who drops a kiss to his forehead before slowly climbing out of bed. He doesn't want to disturb Henry, so is as quiet as he can leaving the bedroom and padding through the house to the bathroom. 

Once he is all done in the bathroom, he walks into the kitchen and starts making himself a coffee, before he gets out some bread, putting it in the toaster. He closes his eyes and yawns, leaning over the side and massaging his temples. He just wants Henry to get better. That's all he wants. That's all he _needs._ But it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

He is so lost in his thoughts, that he doesn't hear someone enter the kitchen, and he jumps when he feels someone wrap their arms around his waist.

"'S just me," Henry mumbles, pressing his face into Alex's shoulder, "Hi love."

"Oh, hi Hen," Alex says, and it takes him a moment before he straightens up and turns around in Henry's arm, looking up at Henry, "Henry."

Henry smiles and presses their foreheads together, "Hi."

Alex's face breaths into a smile, and he wraps his arms around Henry's shoulders, hugging him tight.

"How are you feeling?" He asks.

"Better. Hungry," Henry says, making a face that makes Alex laugh, "Thank you for looking after me."

Alex smiles softly, "You're welcome sweetheart," He says, kissing Henry's cheek, "Toast okay for you?"

"Toast is perfect."

"Awesome."

"Yeah."

"Hey, Hen?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you."

"Love you Al."

"Love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> another impulse firstprince fic so i hope you enjoy! also to those following my snowbaz long one - im writing chapter 2 at the moment, so that should be up in the next few days :)))


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